Contact: Sasha Steinberg

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Fifteen Mississippi State employees are graduating from the university’s 2020-21 Leadership Development Program.

Formerly known as the Leadership Excellence for Accomplished Professionals (LEAP) Program, the nine-month LDP empowers new supervisors and high-performing employees with heightened self-awareness, advanced knowledge and value-added leadership in a secure and challenging environment.

This year’s LDP group includes:

—Doug Bedsaul, project manager, Center for Environmental Health Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine

—Ariel Burks, accounts receivable accountant, Office of the Controller and Treasurer      

—Austin Dillard, business operations manager, MSU Athletics

—George Dunn, director of student services, Shackouls Honors College

—Libby Durst, research associate I, Prairie Research Unit, Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station

—Doug Gernaat, senior systems analyst and team leader, Information Technology Services         

—Robin Graves, admissions manager, CVM Academic Affairs

—Corey Hancock, associate director of admin operations, planning and policy, National Strategic Planning and Analysis Research Center

—Timothy Hopkins, interim director, Holmes Cultural Diversity Center

—Jermaine Jackson, academic coordinator, University Academic Advising Center

—Meredith Nagel, admissions coordinator, CVM Academic Affairs

—Katie Sisk, business manager I, Department of Plant and Soil Sciences

—Anna Sparks, senior budget assistant, Office of the Controller and Treasurer

—Stephen Williams, interim director/program manager, Office of Student Leadership and Community Engagement

—Nancy Wilson, ICU supervisor, CVM Department of Clinical Sciences

Learn more about MSU’s Leadership Development Program at www.hrm.msstate.edu/development/programs/ldp.

MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.